Category: Tolkien-Universe

Rating: M

Couples: Egalmoth/Rog, Maeglin/Salgant

Warnings: AU, canon-levels of Everything

Chapter: 26

Copyright: Characters & places © By Tolkien Estate and/or mynameisjessejk, Plot & OC´s © by me

Authors note: Set in the Otter(less) Mayhem Universe of abovementioned mynameisjessejk on AO3. Unofficial sequel to 'The House of the Mole'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Our son has been abducted." Egalmoth calmly but loudly informed Rog, making his way through the working smiths to where he was cleaning up his workspace. "Oh, and Salgant, I suppose."

"Terrible." The white-haired smith flatly answered. Here in the forges was perhaps the place he kept his hair the most contained, a thick, leather-encased braid hanging down his back. "Did you send guards after them?"

"Nah, I will wait until the ransom-note in three weeks." He hopped onto the wooden worktable beside the other Lord. "You'll be helping me pay, just so you know."

"Pretty certain they are sending that to Turgon, he's richer than either of us." The Lord of the Hammer of Wrath leaned back a bit more, considering the web of thin metal in his hands. A smile was tugging at his mouthcorner.

"Not by much." Back in Beleriand, Egalmoth had had the richest House of Gondolin - to the still strong confusion of his fellow Lords - and was well underway to regaining that status here in Aman... still to their confusion. "Hence you helping me pay so he doesn't get too much of a headstart again."

"You know, when people talk about kids being expensive, I figured they talked about buying clothes and food and toys and all that..." The chuckles were starting to come through now, auburn-red eyes sparkling in mirth. "Not ransom-demands from Fëanorians."

"Truly." He tilted his head to look at the creation of his fellow parent. "Is that some of the wedding-jewelry?"

"The mock-ups we talked about, so your seamstress can work around them." He gestured to the neat boxes beside him. Since it was a Midwinter wedding, there would be fur in the clothes, not to mention more layers than some onions. To ensure that the jewelry would work with the robes, they had decided to do it like this. "This one is Salgant's set, this one Mouse's. I didn't add the gems since I want to be able to easily re-melt the metals later, but the shapes and styles are already here. While you are using these to deal with the clothes, I will make the proper ones."

"Do I want to know how long you have been working on these already?" He slid down from the table, reaching for the box with Salgant's things and opening it. Humming in approval, he carefully pulled out the circlet. "It's good enough that you could just as well put the gems in." Chuckling at the look the smith threw him, he put the piece back and closed the box.

"I absolutely can kick you out of my smithy." Rog reached for Tinnuion's box, letting the metal web slide into like it was water. "Considering you are insulting me..."

The Lord of the Heavenly Arch laughed outright at that. "You sound just like Tinnuion when I called his light-crystals 'sparkly bits'."

"Like father, like son." Stacking the boxes and tucking them under his arm, the Lord of the Hammer of Wrath gestured him to follow. Nowadays, he was well enough on his feet again that offering an arm would raise a lot of questions and even more speculation. Which neither of them felt like dealing with just yet. Obligingly, Egalmoth followed him deeper into the smithy, to where Rog had his office. "I have something for you as well..." The elf in the lead whispered once they were out of earshot of his smiths.

"Oh?" Compared to Mouse's first announcement, this one hit a fair bit more different. "Rog..."

"It's also just a mock-up." Was that a blush!? That was a first! "I need to know I measured correctly." Now that they were in private, the former thrall's need for tactile affection reasserted itself and he gently closed his hand around Egalmoth's wrist. Pulling ever so lightly, he steered his black-haired potential-fiancé to one of the chairs. "May I?"

"You may." He'd never admit that his legs felt distinctly jellylike as he sat down, a faint shiver running through his body when rough hands caressed his hair briefly.

"It'd be slightly easier if your hair was loose, but I think I can measure well enough with this." Putting aside the boxes for their son's wedding, Rog opened a locked box. "It's... well, also for the wedding, since you are going to wear your hair loose for me..." He smiled almost shyly. "I wanted to make something so you have some decoration still, to keep people from getting too scandalized."

"You didn't have to." Keeping his head straight, he let the other work. His hands tightened around the armrest when cool metal hooked on his ears, encasing the sensitive tips.

"I wanted to." A featherlight touch followed the cool metal down the arch of his neck on both sides, draping it carefully over his back. He wondered if it was light enough to miss the goosebumps... "The fit looks good. How is the weight?"

"I... a bit heavy?" It wasn't much, granted, but he suspected it would get uncomfortable after some hours.

"I thought it might be." Rog leaned over him, hand on his shoulder to keep balance while the other reached for some random bits on the desk. After some fiddling, he felt part of the weight move from his ears to his central braid. "How's this?"

"Better."

"Good. Like this then." Both hands settled on his shoulders, thumbs caressing his pulse above his collar.